SDCC: The X-Men & Inhumans Prepare For « Death Of X » – The future of Marvel’s mutants and Inhumans is teased in this comprehensive panel featuring writers Cullen Bunn, James Asmus and more.

Since the launch of « All-New, All-Different Marvel, » X-Men fans have eagerly awaited the reveal of what exactly went down between Cyclops and the Inhumans during the eight-month gap following« Secret Wars. » Now, all stands ready to be revealed. As part of the upcoming Marvel NOW!initiative, the publisher will launch « Death of X » — a series designed to specifically address all the questions X-fans have been asking about the conflict between mutants and Inhumans.

To set up the series as well as run through what’s in store for the X-Men and Inhuman lines, Marvel held a « Death of X » panel at San Diego’s Comic-Con International. Moderated by Marvel talent scout Rickey Purdin, editor-in-chief Axel Alonso, writers Cullen Bunn (« Uncanny X-Men »),Tom Taylor (« All-New Wolverine »), and artist Scott Koblish (« X-Men ’92 ») took the stage to discuss all things X and Inhuman.

« Death of X » #1 variant by Aaron Kuder

« This is a huge story that’s going to fill in the gap between ‘Secret Wars’ and where we are now in current continuity, » said Alonso. « You’re going to find out where Cyclops and Emma have been and that involves the X-Men and the Inhumans. » Purdin then showed off some of Kuder’s interior art, which featured Cyclops and a group of X-Men on a Blackbird jet, as well as a look at the Inhuman Royal Family.

The presentation turned to « Uncanny X-Men, » and Bunn spoke about his book’s new arc. « From the first issue we’ve been hinting at the Hellfire Club and what they’ve been up to. With issue #11, we’re going to reveal a new version of the Hellfire Club and the way it’s connected and opposed to Magneto’s team of X-Men is real interesting and will change how you look at the team. Information about issue #13 was revealed, stating that the X-Men and Hellfire Club will have a begrudging team-up. « They’re not pals or buddy buddy, but they are working together against a new threat, » said Bunn. « It’s a new threat but also has some deep connections to Magneto. »

Bunn’s other series, « Civil War II: X-Men, » came up next. « The arrival of Ulysses in the Marvel Universe has set a lot of different factions at odds, » said Bunn. « Magneto’s interested in Ulysses and thinks it’s the key to the ongoing survival of mutants. He’s decided the only way to make sure Ulysses benefits mutantkind is to take him off the board and put him in Magneto’s camp. Magneto’s making moves to secure Ulysses. » In issue #3, Magneto’s team will go through changes with some « fan favorite » characters showing up in the series.

As the writer of Marvel’s monthly title« Invincible Iron Man » with the now-globally-known superhero, Brian Michael Bendis has been introducing the character of Riri Williams, a teenage student at M.I.T., over the course of months. Riri’s adventures in reverse-engineering Iron Man technology and taking her makeshift suit out for a spin, have served as the breadcrumbs for the path leading Marvel’s newest hero of color to adopt the identity of one of the publisher’s most popular characters.

Once the news broke, outlet after outlet shared the tidbit, fans went to social media and gave it a seal of approval, a questioning dismissal, or a discerning eye. Riri Williams, the next Iron Man (possibly, name-wise), is Marvel’s newest cog in a developing mechanism called « The Newer, More Progressive, Marvel Comics Universe. » This mechanism is being constructed and refined with tactical precision to yield the perfect mixture of media attention, profit, social relevance and authenticity of message.

« The Newer, More Progressive, Marvel Comics Universe » has more people of color on staff than ever before; has more Black writers working on projects than ever before; has more women in their editorial staff than ever before; has more female character-led titles in publication than ever before; has more characters of color being profiled than ever before; has more of a presence in real-world arenas ranging from late night talk shows to The White House than ever before.

With all of that, within the perfect armor which surrounds Iron Riri, covering her body in the positive publicity and the beautiful artwork and the viability of the « Iron Man » name and the timeliness of subject with a young Black girl adept in the STEM fields… there is a crack. This crack threatens to become a chasm. The one which so-called progressives who only care about « a good story » and « have Black friends » and are trying to save the comic book industry (and Planet Earth, in general) from « pandering » and « PC behavior » will undoubtedly have a problem with.

Because the writer behind Riri Williams, possibly one of the most important characters to emerge this year from the womb of « The Newer, More Progressive, Marvel Comics Universe, » is Brian Michael Bendis. He is one of the most impactful writers in American superhero comic books of the last fifteen years, by virtue of his talent, range, multimedia visibility and his goal to create a more diverse fictional landscape of superheroes. Bendis is the sure thing Marvel Comics needs, from a business perspective, to create, introduce, and plant Iron Riri into our collective fan mindscape in such a way that she will stick.

Bendis has been introducing Riri over the past several months in « Invincible Iron Man, » preparing her to take her places as Marvel’s newest hero

But Riri Williams, Iron Riri, the next « Iron Man, » is mostly representative of a creative community which has been (to public knowledge) ignored by the character’s publisher for its entire publishing history.

His desire and ability to create characters of variety and make them compelling characters who make an impression on you, his body of work and his writing acumen — all of those things are a separate matter from the issue of Bendis being a part of the « Men writing stories of young, teenage, female superheroes » narrative, which is decades old and yet quite vibrant in today’s American superhero comic book industry.

This narrative, despite how brightly it shines, how the sound of it reverberates through our ears as a sign of « the way things are, » despite how many outlets of visibility reinforce it, is a tired narrative. An anachronistic narrative. A narrative that needs to arrive at its end of life. We know this.

A short while ago, on a day celebrating national independence, a New York Times book review was published in which a White male novelist was praised for his courage on writing about slavery in a science fiction story, a review that failed to mention the deceased Black female science fiction writer Octavia Butler.

Octavia Butler, the multiple recipient of the Hugo and Nebula awards, recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship, and among many other things author of the novel « Kindred, » a story about slavery wrapped in the genre of science fiction, published in 1979. The absence of a groundbreaking Black female writer in such a discussion that praises a male White author on a subject said Black female author tackled almost 40 years ago, that absence is an indicator of the exclusion narrative. The same exclusion narrative running throughout the origin and revelation of Riri Williams, the next Iron Man.

Now, unlike some writers and institutions harboring the belief that Marvel Comics can manifest and change content on the drop of a dime, pivoting with the speed of The Flash, most of us know that’s not how comic books work. A publisher like Marvel Comics plans their content anywhere from 12 to 24 months in advance.

Marvel’s announcement speaks to greater issues of inclusion and exclusion, also on display in a New York Times book review that failed to mention Octavia Butler’s novel « Kindred »

Not only may Riri Williams be two years-old, but six months from now (or even less), Marvel Comics could reveal a Black female writer as the author of Riri’s heroic story. Those stories could be in the writing stage as you read this.

If that is true, the Black Girl Magic of Riri Williams will be more than aesthetic. It will be profoundly intrinsic. It will be historic. It will shatter today’s exclusion narrative for the American superhero comic book industry. But it will not be enough.

It will not be enough for Marvel to be the Sojourner Truth of the comic book industry, using their collective business acumen to smuggle Black female writers from the slavery of mainstream comic book industry anonymity into the bright and beautiful light of visibility, media attention, and creative opportunity. It will not be enough for Marvel’s peers to do the same.

The exclusion narrative will have to be put to its grave by the collection of creators, fans, and businesspersons within and outside of the comic book industry. A unification of separate efforts, all working in the same direction. The Inclusion Narrative must take root. It must choke the last vestige of life from its predecessor without mercy, compassion, or pause. It must do this, and remain ever vigilant and strong.

The Inclusion Narrative is in the progress of being crafted, whether or not the most prominent publishers in any given industry will help write that narrative in the near-future. When there is ample opportunity given to the various people who grew up knowing or being a Riri Williams to telling the stories that chronicle her growth, maturation and personal trials, then it will begin to be enough.

Soon, Riri Williams will be able to say « I am Iron Man. » I am waiting for the day to hear a Black woman say « I write Iron Man. »

The history of Captain Marvel began with 1967’s « Marvel Super-Heroes » #12 (by Stan Lee, Gene Colan and Frank Giacoia), with one of the strangest set-ups for a Marvel superhero yet. Captain Mar-Vell was sent by the Kree military to Earth to investigate the planet and determine whether the Kree needed to dedicate themselves to destroy the planet (after the Earth heroes, the Fantastic Four, had drawn attention to the planet by defeating a few other Kree emissaries). Mar-Vell’s commanding officer, Colonel Yon-Rogg (who was in love with Mar-Vell’s girlfriend), wanted Mar-Vell dead, so he tried to sabotage Mar-Vell’s mission.

In the next issue (with Roy Thomas now writing the series), Yon-Rogg tried to kill Mar-Vell but instead accidentally killed a human scientist, Walter Lawson, who was on his way to a restricted military base. Mar-Vell took on Lawson’s identity and when he showed up at the base he met its head of security, a young woman named Carol Danvers, who was immediately suspicious of him. Yon-Rogg then tried to activate an old Kree sentry robot and have it kill everyone there, including Mar-Vell. Mar-Vell switches to his Kree battle uniform and saved their all of their lives. In all the confusion, they believed him to be a superhero called « Captain Marvel. » That was the book’s status quo for the first year of its existence — Mar-Vell was spying on Earth, but while there he also ended up protecting the planet, while Carol Danvers investigated Lawson and Yon-Rogg kept trying to sabotage Mar-Vell’s mission.

Eventually, Roy Thomas and Gil Kane decided to revamp the character. The initial set-up was supplied in « Captain Marvel » #16 (by Archie Goodwin, Don Heck and Syd Shores), where Mar-Vell helped stop a plot by Yon-Rogg and some other Kree higher-ups to overthrow the Kree’s Supreme Intelligence. Yon-Rogg escaped to Earth and Mar-Vell convinced the Supreme Intelligence to let him take Yon-Rogg down (the Supreme Intelligence’s first plan was just to blow up the Earth to get to Yon-Rogg). The Supreme Intelligence agreed, but gave Mar-Vell a new costume, special nega bands and a lock at the rank of « Captain. » On the way to Earth, though, Mar-Vell got stuck in the Negative Zone. In the next issue (by Roy Thomas, Gil Kane and Dan Adkins), a new status quo debuted when Rick Jones discovered his own nega bands, and Jones can then switch places with Mar-Vell in the Negative Zone by clanging his nega bands together. This was, in effect, Roy Thomas’ sly way of tying in the concept of the original Fawcett Comics Captain Marvel (where a young boy named Billy Batson shouts the name « Shazam! » to transform into Captain Marvel), as just like Billy Batson, Rick Jones disappears when Captain Marvel is drawn out of the Negative Zone. Mar-Vell now has the chance to track down Yon-Rogg to have their final confrontation, which takes place in « Captain Marvel » #18 (by Roy Thomas, Gil Kane, John Buscema and Dan Adkins) which also turns out to be a major moment in Carol Danvers’ history.

Yon-Rogg uncovered a powerful piece of Kree machinery known as the Psyche-Magnitron and sought to use it to take control of the Kree Empire. Carol Danvers’ investigation in the area ended when she was taken prisoner by Yon-Rogg. Mar-Vell then arrived to battle Yon-Rogg (and the powerful Mandroid, created by the Psyche-Magnitron). Eventually, Yon-Rogg tried to use his blaster on Mar-Vell, but accidentally shot Carol Danvers in her shoulder instead. This spurred Mar-Vell on to defeat Yon-Rogg. The only problem is that the Magnitron has now become unstable. Mar-Vell grabbed Carol and shielded her with his body as they escaped the explosion of the Magnitron, an explosion that seemingly killed Yon-Rogg. With Carol now saved, Captain Marvel went on to new adventures and was no longer involved with the military base. Eventually, writer/artist Jim Starlin took over the title and made Mar-Vell the Protector of the Universe, taking on Thanos a number of times. Carol, for her part, disappeared from the book except for a brief two-part appearance in « Captain Marvel » #34-35 (#34 was Starlin’s final issue on the series — though he would continue his cosmic stories in the pages of Warlock).

In 1976’s « Ms. Marvel » #1 (by Gerry Conway, John Buscema and Joe Sinnott), readers witnessed the debut of a new hero. We also learned Carol Danvers left the security game and went back to her roots as a writer, working for J. Jonah Jameson’s magazine, « Woman. » The book’s second issue revealed the secret origin of Ms Marvel. As it turns out, the Magnitron’s explosion gave off high doses of radiation. Mar-Vell tried to shield Carol from the radiation, but instead the radiation passed through Mar-Vell and sort of merged Carol’s DNA with Mar-Vell’s Kree DNA, giving Carol roughly the same abilities as the man who tried to save her. « X-Men » writer Chris Claremont soon took over the writing duties on Carol’s ongoing title, and used it to introduce some characters who would later become X-Men mainstays like Deathbird and Mystique. Meanwhile, Claremont’s original « X-Men » collaborator, Dave Cockrum, also joined the book and re-designed Carol’s costume. « Ms. Marvel » #23 marked the end of the series, though Carol had joined up with the Avengers late in the run and became a full-time member of « Avengers » after her series concluded. However, this time would be short-lived, as she was written out of the book in the infamous « Avengers » #200 (by David Michelinie, Jim Shooter, Mark Gruenwald, Bob Layton, George Perez and Dan Green).

Geoff Johns Wants DC to Include More ‘Hope & Optimism’ – Though he wouldn’t confirm reports that he is now in charge of DC Films, the DC Entertainment CCO was clear that the brand needs hope and optimism.

« There’s a lot of emotional underpinning of the characters and the stories, » he shared. « It’s not that people take it for granted. They’re just not as aware of it. But when it’s not there, you really feel that emptiness.”

« I think people make a mistake when they say, ‘Superman’s not relatable because he’s so powerful, » he added. « I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me? He’s a farmboy from Kansas who moves to the city and just wants to do the best he can with what he’s got.’ That’s the most relatable character in the world. »

The reported creative shuffle at DC Films comes after the lukewarm reception of « Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, » which may have resulted in the appointing of Ben Affleck as a producer on « Justice League » and the firing of director Seth Grahame-Smith from « The Flash » film. Additionally, some reshoots were done on « Suicide Squad » to, it’s said, « smooth out the third act. »

A few CG aliens will join Jyn Erso’s team of Rebel soldiers in the upcoming anthology film.

We now know the names of the Rebel officers responsible for stealing the Death Star plans. Thanks to early pages from “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’s” visual story guide, posted by edelweiss, the film’s cast has been revealed — along with a few new characters as well. There’s still a slight possibility that this information isn’t totally accurate as the pages themselves aren’t the final versions, but we’ll post a spoiler warning just in case.

As revealed in the “Rogue One” trailer, Felicity Jones is playing Jyn Erso (“a highly skilled soldier and warrior”). Joining her are:

It’s worth pointing out that a lot of the character description text is either vague or placeholder text from previous “Star Wars” companion books; the text accompanying the Imperial officers’ page, for instance, looks like it was pulled from a “The Force Awakens’” costume guide. Similarly, much of the descriptive text for the Rebel team is a variation on the same information. Each characters’ name and role, though, is unique.

The visual story guide arrives in stores on January 24, 2017; “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” debuts in theaters on December 16.

New Marvel Teaser Heralds a Hero’s Long-Awaited Return – Spinning out of « Avengers: Standoff, » a hero will make a long-awaited return to Marvel Comics, and it appears they’ll be connected to the Nova Corps.

With the title « A Long Awaited Return… », the teaser features a golden cross on a black background; the cross echoes the (generally red) symbol on the Nova Corps’ helmet, much like the one Sam Alexander wears in « All-New, All-Different Avengers. »

The teaser also references « Avengers: Standoff, » which concludes in next Wednesday’s « Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Omega » #1, so it seems we’ll soon learn who will be making a big return.

Several Nova Corps members are currently unaccounted for, including fan-favorite Richard Rider. Additionally, the solicitation text for Mark Waid and Mahmud Asrar’s « All-New, All-Different Avengers » #10 teases « The Search for Nova’s father, » which implies the Avengers will get word that Jesse Alexander is alive.

Of course, the teaser could have nothing to do with the Nova Corps; the image could just as well tease the return of Quasar, the original Captain Marvel, Darkhawk or someone else entirely.

« Avengers: Standoff » draws to a close in « Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Omega » #1, which goes on sale April 27.

Jon Favreau: « Superhero Movies are Going to be Around for a Long Time » – « Iron Man » and « The Jungle Book » director Jon Favreau shares his thoughts on the risks of Marvel’s first film and the longevity of superhero films.

During the event, as reported by THR, Favreau was asked about Marvel’s first superhero film, « Iron Man. » According to Favreau, if « Iron Man » had not have been the box office success that it was, Marvel would have had to sell the cinematic rights to that character. « There was a lot of pressure because if that first film had failed, the IP was collateral. If we didn’t make money, they could have lost the rights to all their characters. »

Losing the rights to all of the MCU characters was certainly a huge risk for Marvel to take at the time. « Iron Man’s » $585 million global box office secured the future of the studio and the entire franchise of characters that Marvel is producing today.

Favreau was also asked about the future of superhero films — a question many directors have been asked lately — including Steven Spielberg, who said last year that « There will be a time when superhero films will go the way of the Western. » Favreau had a very different response, referencing « Guardians of the Galaxy’s » creativity and independent film-like style, « If you stamp that as a ‘superhero’ movie, then I think superhero movies are going to be around for a long time. »

At this point Favreau is definitely on the right track, considering studios like Marvel, Warner Bros., and Twentieth Century Fox have superhero movies lined up for the next decade. The genre is also experiencing a shift in tone, considering the vast differences between « Deadpool, »« Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, » and even « Captain America: Civil War, » which could ensure that the genre stays fresher longer than expected.

In « Versus Zoom, » Hunter Zolomon finally got what he wanted: Barry’s speed. However, before he even made it back to Earth-1, « The Flash » flashed back to Zolomon’s childhood and revealed the character’s Earth-2 origin.

As it turns out, Hunter Zolomon is one of Earth-2’s only serial killers. The episode revealed a traumatic event from his childhood, one that parallels Barry’s own origin: Zolomon watched his father murder his mother. However, Zolomon didn’t have a surrogate parent like Joe West who was ready and willing to take him in; instead, he grew up in foster care, after all remaining family members refused to take him in.

Zolomon grew up to be a serial killer, murdering 23 people before his capture. Instead of jail, he was sent to a psychiatric hospital, where he underwent shock therapy in order to cure his murderous urges. This is exactly what was happening when Earth-2’s particle accelerator went off, and it ultimately gave him his speed.

In addition to Zoom’s origin, the episode found Cisco tapping a new ability. Using Reverb’s glasses, he was able to manually open the breach between worlds with his powers, which is what allowed Zoom to return to Earth-1.

Thanks to his return to Earth-1, Zoom was able to kidnap Wally and demand Barry’s speed in exchange. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Barry chose to give up his speed in order to save Wally. Zoom took Barry’s speed, but something went wrong with the transfer, causing Zoom to lash out against Barry. Caitlin begged him to stop, desperately appealing to any part of him that might have felt something for her. Her plea worked, and Zoom took off, leaving Barry powerless but alive.

During the transfer, Zoom answered a few questions for the team, as well as the audience. As it turns out, the Jay that died was a time remnant of his past self, who he convinced to join him. Additionally, he explained why he masqueraded as Jay Garrick: because he enjoyed « playing » a hero, giving the people hope before ripping it away. However, when Barry asked who the man in the mask was, Zoom dodged the question by saying, « You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. »